The action isn’t just at the Edith Kanaka‘ole Multi-Purpose Stadium and Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium during Merrie Monarch Week on the Big Island. There are several other venues throughout Hilo and East Hawai‘i that will feature hula, music, arts and crafts, Hawaiian cultural events and other entertainment.
The Merrie Monarch Hula Festival began 59 years ago in Hilo as an attempt to bring in tourist revenue in the wake of the devastating 1961 tsunami. After the festival’s pandemic-induced two-year hiatus, local businesses are taking advantage of crowds eager to do some Merrie Monarch-related shopping. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi reports.